Prevent accumulation of dust

THIS week, we highlight more ways of maintaining a dust-free home. There are a number of ways of reducing dust and allergens in the home. If you find yourself frequently frustrated by the amount of dusting you have to do, consider adding these to your home improvement checklist.

Seal windows and doors

Open doors and windows let in a lot of external dust, so keeping them closed is the first step to reducing household dust. But improperly sealed windows, doors and other dust entryways, like cracks and crevices in flooring, can also let in dust.

Check, repair, and/or replace seals to reduce external dust.

Clean vents regularly

Your home’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is an important part of overall dust management; it captures dust particles through the vents and removes them using air filters.

Keeping vents clean and unobstructed, therefore, will ensure the HVAC system is at peak performance.

For routine cleaning, wipe the covers with a microfibre cloth and, if necessary, use the crevice attachment on your vacuum to remove debris.

For a deeper clean, unscrew the vent covers and scrub them with soap and warm water before letting them soak.

While they are soaking, use a vacuum fitted with the hose attachment to clean inside the vents.

Finally, dry the covers thoroughly and reinstall them.

Keep filters clean

Just as with vents, keeping filters clean and replacing them regularly is a critical part of household dust management. When purchasing a product with an air filter, check the manufacturer’s recommendations for the frequency with which to change the filter. Typically, fibreglass air filters need to be changed monthly, while pleated air filters should be replaced every three to six months.

Use entrance mats

Doormats can help prevent dust and other external pollutants from entering your home. In addition to using entryway mats, consider making your home a no-shoe zone; creating a spot to remove shoes in the entryway can reduce allergens from being tracked inside.

Pamper your pets

Regularly grooming your pets and keeping their bedding and other belongings like toys or clothes clean will make a marked difference in the air quality and dust levels in your home. Routine brushing and bathing help eradicate dander at its source.

Since pet beds are a hot spot for dust mites, launder removable covers in hot water or use a vacuum fitted with an upholstery attachment to eliminate dust mites and dander.

Try a few dusting hacks

Dusting most household surfaces is a straightforward job for either a microfibre cloth or a vacuum cleaner. But there are some items and spaces in the home that can be challenging to keep dust-free. These dusting hacks can help.

Line hard-to-reach places like the tops of cabinets with newspaper, contact paper or any other type of easy-to-remove liner. Then, instead of deep cleaning those places to remove dust and debris, simply pick up and dispose of the liner and set down a new one.

Use an old pillowcase to clean ceiling fan blades. Slide the open end of the pillowcase over the blade, clamp your hands down around the opening and slide it back towards you. The dust will collect inside the pillowcase, rather than showering down on the area below the fan.

Dust with dryer sheets, which pick up dust and hair, and leave behind a thin layer of anti-static residue that will help repel dust, keeping places like baseboards, window frames and vent openings cleaner for longer.

Use a paintbrush to dust small, intricate, and/or delicate items. A paintbrush is the perfect dusting tool for everything from intricately carved furniture to electronics.

Know your dusting tools

There are a lot of dusting tools on the market and it can be overwhelming to sort through which ones you actually need. In general, microfibre cloths and dusting tools are the best choice for the job. If you are only going to buy one duster, make it microfibre. However, there are other dusters worth knowing about.

• Telescoping dusters, which have extendable handles, make dusting hard-to-reach places like window casings, baseboards and the tops of cabinets easier.
• A vacuum cleaner fitted with the right attachments is also a powerful tool in the fight against household dust.
• Paintbrushes, dusting gloves and other small specialty tools can be useful for dusting electronic gadgets, as well as delicate or intricate items.
• Tape and sticky rollers pick up dust from hard-to-clean fabric goods like lampshades.

Canned air and electronic dusters help dislodge dust from places other tools cannot go. — bhg.com